Announcing Our Favorite Book of the Season
And other inspiring ideas we came across this week
In case you missed the memo, this week the Next Big Idea Club announced its winning book for the season: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson. Below, you can learn all about that sentence by watching and listening to our conversation with Walter. And if you’re ready to dive in, join the club now and we’ll send you a signed copy of the book along with a digital reading guide, the opportunity to discuss the book with fellow members in our WhatsApp community, and an exclusive invitation to a live Q&A with Walter in December. (PS: Use the code DAILY for 20% off—and remember, club membership also makes a great gift!)
This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
What is the greatest sentence ever written?
According to Walter Isaacson — former editor of Time, ex-CEO of CNN, and the acclaimed biographer of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Jennifer Doudna — it’s this: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Yes, it’s eloquent, but more than that, it gave the United States a mission statement, one that we are still striving — fitfully, imperfectly — to meet.
Walter’s new book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, unpacks that mission statement: how it came to be written, what it meant to the founders, and why it matters today.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Daily Podcast
Is it time to re-boot The American Dream?
Our long-standing national myth of self-reliance and rugged individualism has been in trouble for decades, if it ever even was real. So what now? Is there a new shared vision we can unite behind?
Oliver B. Libby is a civic entrepreneur and venture capitalist whose new book, Strong Floor, No Ceiling: Building a New Foundation for the American Dream, argues that in these divided times we can come together to support a radically centrist approach—one that aims to provide basic security for all Americans while removing limits on our ambitions You can pick up a copy on Amazon or listen to his big ideas now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
This week, Book of the Day is brought to you by The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness, a collection of Naval’s wisdom and experience from the last ten years, shared as a curation of his most insightful interviews and poignant reflections. Learn how to walk your own unique path toward a happier, wealthier life. Order your copy today.
Book Bite of the Week
Is capitalism the natural state of the world?
Sven Beckert is the Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University. He has written widely on the economic, social, and political history of capitalism. His book Empire of Cotton won the Bancroft Prize, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and was named one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times.
His new book Capitalism: A Global History challenges us to rethink the most important force shaping our lives—capitalism—by looking beyond Western narratives and embracing a truly global perspective, opening new ways to imagine our economic futures.
Pick up a copy of the book on Amazon or check out the author’s summary here on the Next Big Idea app.
Happy Pub Week!
Congratulations to our must-read authors who have new books out this week: Of course, Walter Isaacson (The Greatest Sentence Ever Written), but also Simon Winchester (The Breath of the Gods), and James Riordan (Crush).